Small Air Forces

16/07/2011

Firstly, apologies for being away from the Blog for a while. I had an accident with my hard drive, and can not access the thousands of images i have, so for the moment im not sure whether they are perminantly lost or not. Just in case, im searching around sites that i know where the images have come from, but its a long drawn out process.

However, it does have its benefits, as you tend to find new and exciting images, such as these Bangladesh Air Force images taken on the 13th March this year by a certain photographer named M. Azizul Islam ( hats off to you sir, for some truly stunning images!)

Enjoy!!!

F-7BG Airguard's 932 and 942 taxi past each other as they turn along the runway at their base. They are pooled and operated by both 5 and 35 Squadron's at Dhaka-Kurmitola, hence they carry both units markings

F936/936 showing the two unit markings off really well. Im struggling to work out what the F suffix before the serial means. Is it the aircraft's construction number, individual aircraft just duplicating it as on the MiG-29's (below)?

4 twin-seat FT-7BG's are also operated by the Bangladeshi's. 5 Squadron markings are carried on the tail and 35 Squadron markings are found on the nose. They are respectively known as the "Defenders" and "Thundercats".

2435 is a FT-7M variant, hence the different camo job its painted in. It belongs to 35 Squadron, and does not seem to carry any 5 Squadron marks.

MiG-29SE 36502 wheels down on Dhaka's runway. The MiG-29's are operated by 8 Squadron, and are tasked with defending the capitol.

36507 taxies out alongside twin seater MiG-29UB 28264. Note the Squadrons badge both on the fin and the nose.

Take off shot of 36502 showing the underside detail. The serials on Bangladeshi MiG-29's are copies of the individual aircraft's construction number.

MiG-29UB 28264 taxing along the runway at Dhaka. Only two of these are in service, alongside 6 single seat SE's. 24 were originally ordered back in 1998, but due to payment problems only Eight were ever delivered, spending a period of time grounded due to a lack of spare parts.

I just love this image!!!. 28264 and 36507 thunder down the runway. After their period of grounding, they were put back into front-line service with Indian help, and the re-newed supply of spare parts. Indeed, 14 more SMT models were ordered last year, with first deliveries expected soon.

ALL IMAGE'S ARE THE COPYRIGHT OF M. AZIZUL ISLAM

(Courtesy of Jetphotos.net)

Do you have any interesting images of Bangladeshi military aircraft? Would you like me to showcase them on here? email me:- agrotis@hotmail.co.uk

04/07/2011

SA-16A Albatross 17225 (c.n.G.306) is seen here during 1968, and is one of 4 ex US aircraft that were supplied 10 years earlier. They were used in the Search & Rescue role with 4 Squadron out of Drigh Road - Karachi.

Aircraft were:-

C.NPAF SerialUS Serial

G.298 17220 7220

G.300 17221 7221

G.301 17222 7222

G.306 17225 7225

(All wfu during 1968)

Do you have any good quality images of Pakistan's military aircraft? Would you like them to appear on here? Contact me at agrotis@hotmail.co.uk

Quite a suprise for spotter's at Malta's Luqa Airport on the 13th of June, was the appearance of this UAE DHC.6-300 Twin Otter. Carrying the serial 2277 (c.n 672), she is operated by the UAE Army's Special Operations Command's 18 Group, out of Sas al Nakhil. Was this just a maintenance flight or was it connected to the ongoing UN/NATO operation over Libya?

Another DHC.6-300 is DU-SD3 (c.n.765), but painted in an overall white scheme. She is used for Parachute training, aswell as for skydiving tourist's!

(Copyright Unknown)

Do you have any photo's of UAE military aircraft that you would like to be shown on here? Please contact me agrotis@hotmail.co.uk

Seen stopping over at Torrejon in Spain on the 29th June 2011, was this EMB-312F Tucano serieled 463/5T-MAI. She is one of four ex French examples that have been refurbished before delivery to the Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie. Some source's state that five will be delivered, but i only have the seriels for four:-

C/NSerialCode

312463 463 5T-MAI

312487 487 5T-MAO

312488 488 5T-MAP

312499 499 5T-MAT

(Copyright Crusader 84)

5T-MAT

(Copyright Copter)

5T-MAP & 5T-MAO

Do you have photo's of aircraft in Mauritanian service? Would you like to feature them on here?

17/06/2011

North Korean stuff is always a bonus due to their rarity. This Mi-8T Hip-C (coded 108), is seen here at Pyongyang in Air Koryo colours. Air Koryo uses aircraft of the Air Force on both internal and international flights.

11/04/2011

Picture's are starting to emerge of Aircraft that have found their way into rebel service. They seem to have been adopted from the old Royalist flag. The MiG-23's are based at Benina, though im not sure where the Hind's are based.

08/04/2011

This has been sitting on my hard drive for a while now, so much so that i cant recall the forum its comes from, so apologies for not being able to credit the photo to anyone. Anyways, this is one of three ex Libyan L-39ZA's donated to Uganda, which spent most of their time sitting on the Entebbe ramp.

The above Photo is not Entebbe though, and looking at the Apron, its somewhere in Eastern Europe, Russia or Ukraine. If so, then they are for upgrade, and are now back in service.

06/04/2011

Seen at Nampula Air Base back in March, is one of the Forca Aérea De Moçambique's two recently transferred ex Portuguese FTB.337G Milirole's. They will be used for a number of task's that will include Liason, Medevac and training. They are also equipped for the Surveilance role, though it is unknown whether they have been stripped of their weopon's capability.

05/04/2011

This and the following photo's seem to have been taken during a CFE arms inspection to an Airfield in Baku, Azerbaijan back in 2000. Pictured above is AN-2 Colt, that seems to have been requisitioned for Military service during its bloody war with Armenia during the 1990's, hence the ad hoc application of Dark green over its former Aeroflot marks. No serial or code is visable, if indeed it carries one at all, though the Azeri fin flash can just be made out on the tail.

Azeri AN-12B Cub without any visable serial. Accurate figure's as to how many aircraft served with the Air Force during the conflict over Ngorniy Karabakh are hard to assertain, since many aircraft were requisitioned. The Transport element was based at Gyandzha. Although faded, the cheatline on this aircraft is actually Blue, with the small Azeri flag situated on the rear fuselage, above the cabin window's.

A very nice suprise must of been these two BE-12PS Chaika ASW/Maritime Patrol aircraft taken over from the Russian's at Baku, but seemingly placed in storage and never used by the Azeri's. The posibility is, that they may have been earmarked for the Azeri Navy.

Another type included in the Black Sea Fleet transfer were a number of KA-27PS Helix-A, three of which are seen here. Visible serials are 142 and 143, with 142 wearing fresher marking's. These would of been earmarked for the Azeri Navy, and not the Air Force.

Between 24-30 L-29 Delfin advanced Trainer's were inherited by the Azeri Air Force, and several actually undertook combat mission's over Ngorniy Karabakh from there home base at Kyurdamir, with some being lost due to lacking any armour agiainst light arms fire.

A few Mil Mi-2 Hoplite's were inherited from the Russian's, with yellow 40 still showing it's ancestry through her weathered camo. Mi-2's are currently in service with an Helicopter regiment based at Gala. Note the L-29 Delfin serialed 116 in the top photograph.

Weopon rack's are seen attached to this former Russian Mi-8MT Hip-H. Carrying the Azeri code of Red 121 over its former Russian code of 43, they served heavily in the War with Armenia, wih several being shot down.

Red 135 has the Azeri fin flash coving it's tail, and painted in a smart Green and Grey scheme.

Another veteran of the conflict with Armenia, is this Mi-24P Hind-F. Note the Shark mouth!

Another veteran, this time in the form of red 115, a former Russian Mi-24V. It wear's a shark mouth, with the Fin flash covering the whole fin, which was possibly applied as an identification aid against confusion with Armenian example's.

(All Photo's courtesy of Cold War Warrior)

These Hind's dont seem to carry any Azeri insignia and may have been used for spare's recovery to keep the service's other Hind's operational.